Neuro-receptor PET could provide an early warning for alcoholic relapse

July 12, 2017

Alcohol abuse disorder is a devastating and complicated disease affecting millions of people worldwide. A study presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) reveals how brain receptors involved in the compulsion to drink, adapt to alcohol-dependency by reducing their bioavailability, but return to their normal availability after a modest period of detoxification. Receptor availability at the outset of sobriety could also serve as a predictor of long-term success.

Researchers focused on metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) receptors, which are linked to memory, learning, and feelings of anxiety and craving, and are spread throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. In the limbic systems of brains coming off a stint of heavy drinking, they found significantly lower mGluR5 receptors available for neurotransmission. This suggests that the brain is compensating for chronic alcohol abuse by biochemically turning down the urge to drink.